Cranbury, NJ, March, 20, 2009—The March of Dimes New Jersey Chapter announces the availability of grant funding for 2010 to support programs to improve the health of women of childbearing age, pregnant women, and infants.  Any applicant must be a 501c3 nonprofit organization.  Letters of Intent are due by April 30, 2009 to the March of Dimes New Jersey Chapter. For a full list of specific priorities, proposal guidelines, and deadlines, please visit www.marchofdimes.com/newjersey.  The first step in the application process is to complete an eligibility form through the March of Dimes New Jersey Chapter website.  If it is determined that an organization is eligible for a March of Dimes grant, applicants will be notified with further instructions on submitting a letter of intent within three business days. Applicants will be invited to submit full grant proposals in June.  Special consideration will be given to proposals that focus on improving poor birth outcomes and use evidence based interventions.  For more information, please email Xenia Acquaye at XAcquaye@marchofdimes.com .

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at nacersano.org.